Charlie Manuel and Perfect Game deliver Philadelphia Public League athletics’ largest donation

As Philadelphia Public League athletes rummaged through a box of hats donated by Perfect Game, they placed them on their head — then added some more caps on top, jokingly — Thursday at the Germantown Supersite. Charlie Manuel stood nearby smiling. It’s the exact reaction he hoped for.

Manuel, the former Phillies manager who led them to two straight World Series appearances, winning a title in 2008, is one of several investors in Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service. Alongside his wife, Missy, Manuel presented the Public League with a donation from Perfect Game of more than 30,000 pieces of women’s and men’s sports apparel, which is the largest donation ever presented to Philadelphia schools’ athletic departments.

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Last September, Manuel, 80, suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. He worked everyday on his recovery and eventually regained his speech. He attended Phillies spring training earlier this year and said he tries to see 35 to 40 games a year. His recent focus has been investing in youth baseball.

“If I got something new as a kid; shoes, jersey, socks, it made me feel better and helped me play better,” Manuel said Thursday. “It gives kids confidence. … I want to see baseball grow here. I can’t even begin to tell you how much this city means to me — I’m in awe about it. Everywhere I go people know me and give me a bunch of attention, it’s great. I love it, but I also want to give my love back to them.”

Members of the Frankford and Central high schools’ baseball teams, the Science Leadership Academy softball team, and Martin Luther King High School cheerleaders represented the Public League and had the chance to open boxes that were the first of three shipments.

For Public League President Jimmy Lynch, the donation means more than providing their athletes with apparel. It’s removing barriers in sports and giving students of their 75 member schools — 51 public high schools and 24 charter schools — the opportunity to participate, even if they might not have the resources to do so.

In February, the Perfect Game, which has a base in the Philly and South Jersey area, reached out to Lynch expressing interest in donating excess clothing to nearby schools.

“The apparel extends beyond baseball and softball,” Lynch said. “We look forward to getting this in the hands of the kids as we get ready for the fall and preseason. It’s going to be stretched a long way. They can use it for practice wear, they can use it for training.

“This will hopefully drive kids to come out because they’re seeing that the resources are there. There’s no reason that our students shouldn’t have the same opportunities as students outside the city, a couple miles down the road.”

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Besides hats, the donation includes T-shirts, hoodies, shorts, joggers, and visors. The colors are also specifically chosen to match Philadelphia public schools.

There certainly have been challenges in the past, whether it’s field space or access to equipment, especially in baseball and softball, which can be expensive for families.

That’s why Lynch, and other coaches involved in the Public League, know the importance of having partnerships.

“I was talking to Coach Manuel and everybody at Perfect Game, and I explained to them that a donation like this is a lifeline,” said Frankford baseball coach Juan Namnun, who’s been with the program for 25 years and is a health and physical education teacher at the school. “For many of our teams that struggle to raise money for equipment, for clothes, for pants — something like this will literally keep our league running.”

Central coach Kenneth Devenney added: “To have Perfect Game level the playing field for all the teams, it gives kids equal opportunity throughout our city.”

Central baseball players Frank Bevenour and Aaron Leventhal, both of whom will attend the University of Pittsburgh in the fall, believe this donation gives the Public League the recognition it deserves.

Bevenour, a third baseman, and Leventhal, a second baseman, helped the Lancers to a Public League title this year against Franklin Towne. They have grown up Phillies fans and said it was incredible to meet Manuel.

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They later got a picture with him and chatted — it’s a day they won’t forget.

“We don’t get as much support as the other leagues, like the Catholic League,” Bevenour said. “I think getting more support from [Perfect Game] and the Phillies will build this league.”

Leventhal added: “Central is a school that’s based on alumni, people that graduated then come back to help the next generation. That’s what Central is all about. I think it’s really important that we’re getting this support to help the Lancers of the future.”